Street Rat
by RavenclawSnake
Summary: Remus is abandoned after being bitten and is taken into a home for other abandoned and homeless kids. Rated M for later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: So the idea came to me when I was watching Criminal Minds and an episode came on where the criminals were kidnapping girls and the boy they had was being trained in the School of Seven Bells, where they lace a jacket with seven bells and when you can succesfully pickpot it without the bells ringing, you're ready for the streets. So yeah. :B**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

Some people are bitten by werewolves. Some are adults, some are children. The adults, well they all react differently. Some kill themselves to spare being a burden to society, some go off and join a pack in the wild, others just put up with it. You know they're a werewolf when you see one, if you are one. You know the signs. They look more tired than usual, more ragged and ready to just lie down and let the earth eat them up. They were the ones who's hands shook when the applied for a job; when that dreaded question, 'Are you a werewolf or vampire?' came up; when they got nearly thrown out of the place while they were sobbing and pleading for just small work, any work.

You don't see the children often. They don't get to make the choice. They're parents do. It's all down to status for most. Have a werewolf for a daughter and that arranged marriage you set up before she was born is gone. Your son turns into a furry beast because the moon makes him? He won't get a wife or children. Other's got rid of their children. Abandoned them at orphanages in the dead of night and let the caretakers do what they wanted. They never bothered to figure out what happens to them, after all, the child was the orphanages problem now. Not all get sent to the orphanages. Some just get straight up abandoned in the streets on shopping day. They tell the child, "Go off and have fun. We'll find you when we're done." As soon as the child is out of sight, the parents Apparate away. The child realizes after a few hours that they haven't seen their parents and realizes they've been abandoned. Some parents take possibly the cruelest route ever. They kill the child. Whether it's to spare the child a life of misery or to spare the parents a life of misery, no one can really tell.

Mum and Dad almost kept me after I was bitten. Almost. Dad wanted to drown me in the bathtub. Mum wanted to keep me and try and fine a cure. They settled on just abandoning me. Only after Dad held my head under the water for a good five or eight minutes and I blacked out. I woke up in Knockturn Alley. It was dark, darker than what Knockturn Alley normally was. So it must have been night. It took me a few hours but I managed to find my way out and into Diagon Alley. My stomach was rumbling and I was alone. As I wandered the streets, I began thinking to myself. What would I do for food? Where would I live? I was only eight, there wasn't much I could do. I could try for a job, but there was a chance they would find out I was a werewolf. The bite mark was still visible on my throat and I wasn't sure if I could hide it succesfully. I didn't have a scarf on me. If I didn't have a scarf, I couldn't get a job. If I didn't get a job, I couldn't get a scarf.

As I walked, I saw someone drop a pouch. It was a small leather coin purse. As soon as I saw the person drop it, I had two choices. I could return the coin purse and hope for a reward or I could steal it. The first one seemed more noble, and really, they could give me money. Or I could take the less noble route and steal it. At least then I was guarenteed the money. I hurried forward before anyone could grab it and scooped it up. The leather was worn and felt cracked in my hands. I glanced around for the person who had dropped it but they had disappeared into the crowds of people. I hadn't even gotten a look at what they had been wearing or what they looked like. I hurrid out of the way of the people who were behind me, they were starting to complain that I wasn't moving. I poured the coins into my hand and counted them out. Six gold Galleons, fourteen silver Sickles, and twenty-five bronze Knuts. I tucked the coins back into the pouch and slid it into my pocket. I glanced around one last time to make sure that no one saw me pocket it. No one was eyeing my suspiciously, thankfully.

Turning on my heel, I ran as fast as my legs could carry me through the alleyways. I turned around a corner and immediately tripped over something I couldn't see. Sitting up, I felt around for the thing that tripped me but all I found was ground. "What-" I began when I heard someone run up behind my and grab me. They covered my mouth so I couldn't scream for help (not that anyone would come to help) and carried me off. It wasn't to far that they carried me but it was a complicated path and I couldn't remember half of the twists and turns we took. Soon we entered a rickety old building. The ceiling looked like it was going to cave in and the walls were covered in cobwebs, moss, and god knows what else. Whoever was carrying me dumped me on the ground and of all things I thought, the first was, _Did my hand just brush against a rat?_ It probably was but before I could grasp at it, it was gone. The person who carried me in grunted and I looked up. He was sixteen, seventeen maybe. I stared at him and he stared back. I couldn't tell much of what he looked like, it was far to dark to see much other than his size and that he was definitely a male.

He seemed to be sizing me up, the way he looked in my direction. Or, that's what I assumed. "Little street rat, stealing my money, eh?" he said bitterly. I could hear a sneer in his voice and I scooted backwards. "Thought no one had seen, eh? I did, though. So you've got two choices, kid. You give me the money and in turn I keep you safe and get you a job. Or you give me the money and I kill you," he said. He was baiting me, I knew it. Either way, he kept his money. In the end, it was he who would make the final choice of whether I lived or died.

I narrowed my eyes and pulled the coin purse out of my pocket and tossed it to him. He caught it smoothly and, what I suspect, eyed me carefully. He rolled the pouch in his palms as he thought and for a second I thought he was going to kill me. His hand flashed through the air and I flinched, expecting a flash of green light and my impending death. Instead, however, the small pouch landed in my lap and a few coins spilled to the floor. "You'll be staying with a few of the other runts," grunted the man. "You can call me Esry. What do I call you?" he grunted, grabbing me up by the front of my shirt. I grabbed the coin bag and sprinted behind him as he dragged me. He led me out of the building and down even more twists and turns. Finally, after all the dragging and turns, we came to a much nicer building than the one before. This at least resembled a house and didn't look like a slight breeze would knock over. He tossed me into the door and pulled a Muggle cigarette from his pocket. "go inside, tell them I'll be back later," he said. I didn't have time to respond because Esry Apparated away.

I opened the door with a shaky hand and immediately someone yanked me in and shut the door. "Ah man, Esry brought another stray?" whined one person. "Hush, Bicket. Maybe he'll die in a few days," another one said brightly. "Or he'll rake in some money," piped in another voice. Someone lit a lantern and the room was filled with light. There were a few chairs and a moldy sofa for seating but that was it. Each spot was occupied by someone. There were two girls and two boys, plus a small child, younger than I, who was bouncing on one of the girls laps. "Name?" asked one person, I think it was the one called Bicket. "No, no names yet," snapped the eldest boy. He stared me down and his lip curled in disgust. "Ugh, forget raking in money, Niki. He's just a runt, runt-ier than Little," griped the boy. "Give him a chance," the girl with the small child said. She seemed to be the kindest looking of the bunch, not counting the small child. "Little and this boy might be runts, but I recall a runty boy just a few years ago that went by the name of Kie," she said. The boy pursed his lips and rolled his eyes, folding his arms moodily over his chest.

"Ignore Kie," the girl said, smiling at me. "I'm Niki, seventeen. This little boy on my lap is Little," she said, bouncing her knee and sending Little into a shriek of giggles. Bicket made a small moan of annoyance at the noise and shook his head. "You've sort of met Bicket. And she," Niki said, jerking her head towards the girl who had not said anything yet and wasn't even acknowledging me, "is Rane." Rane cast a glance at me and looked away. I looked down at my shoes and shuffled my feet.

Bicket looked at me and raised an eyebrow expectantly. "Well? Who the hell are you?" he asked. Niki cast him a scolding look and he looked away sheepishly. "Well? What're we going to call you?" Bicket asked again. Niki cast me another kind smile at sighed. "Real name or nickname, give whatever you please," she said. I liked her, she seemed like the mother of the group. As she was also, I guess, closest to Esry's age, that probably made Esry the dad or leader. All eyes, but Rane's and Kie's, were trained on me.

"'m Remus," I said quietly. In the room, my quiet whisper might as well have been a shout, the way it carried through the room. Everyone nodded and gave their welcomes, even Kie. Rane glared at me, her eyes staring deep into mine. I was definitely not her favorite person. I was definitely not even in her 'I like them a bit but I definitely wouldn't hang out with them in public or say more than a hello to them' book.

It was a bit of an odd place. Bicket and Niki were joking around while Little slept on a small bundle of blankets. Kie and Rane sat in the corner, their conversation hushed and low. They kept looking at me then exchanging dark looks with each other. Niki seemed fond of me, although she was fond of everyone. Esry stopped in a few hours after I had been dropped here. He came bearing food and a small bundle of blankets and clothes. Niki took the food and cloth and began dividing it amongst us. I was given a blanket to sleep on (I could sort of wrap it around my body and it was definitely better than nothing). What I got for food was some stale bread and an apple. I gave Little the apple (he seemed more interested in the fruit anyway) and he gave me his share of the stale bread. The little boy was definitely one of my favorites here. Too young to judge me and innocent enough that he liked me. Little told me he was four. That put him just a few years younger than me.

That night, Little slept near me, huddling close enough that our body heat rebounded off each other but far away enough that he wasn't pressed against me. Kie took the couch while Bicket and Niki snoozed in the chairs. Esry didn't stay, he said he had other mouths to feed and had to make a few more stops to get them stuff as well. This was definitely an interesting place. By the looks of it, Esry took in the street rats like me an gave them somewhere to stay where they were sure to get food and have a roof over their head.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I forgot to add a note to the first chapter, the rest of the story WILL be in third person. :| And I don't really have much of a description of Niki, Little, Kie, Bicket, or Rane. Esry, however, does and he'll get a bit more of a role later on (probably in the next chapter or two).**

"Alright, you're too young for a job, Remus, so you're going to be a pick-pocket, kay?" Niki said, patting his shoulder. She and Remus had looked through Diagon Alley for a job. No one was hiring and they had even said that even if they were looking, an eight year old was the last thing on their list. While they had been out and about, Remus found out why Niki was called, well, Niki. She was an excellent shop lifter. At Madame Malkins she had somehow nicked a cloak without being seen. After they had stopped there, they slunk off to a deserted street. There stood Esry. He handed Niki a bag and then Disapparated away.

"So, what are we going to do with a cloak and whatever is in that bag?" Remus asked as Niki led him through the alleys. He had begun memorizing the many twists, turns, and the shortcuts that Niki showed him. Niki flashed him a mysterious smile and cocked an eyebrow. She shook the bag and there was a faint tinkling noise, like chimes or something of that sort. Remus remembered wind chimes. His mother had had a set out on the deck porch that clanged together in, what he guessed was supposed to be, a beautiful melody. To him, it just sounded like noise. This at least, although a bit muffled, sounded nicer.

"Ever heard of the School of the Seven Bells?" she asked, her tone as mysterious as her smile. Remus shook his head and she smirked again. "Well, we have a pole that Bicket is setting up, or should be set up. We're going to take these bells Esry got us and lace them into the cloak I got. Rane's going to sew them into the cloak and we're going to string the cloak onto the pole. That coin pouch Esry gave ya is going to be put into the cloak. Once you can succesfully grab the pouch without setting off a bell, you're ready for the streets," she explained. Remus scrunched up his face. It sounded easy enough. Niki seemed to read his thoughts and laughed. "It's not as easy as it sounds, Remus," she said with a laugh.

It wasn't easy. At all. Four hours in and Remus had set off at least three bells with each try. Rane was growing more please each time the bells tinkled. If Remus couldn't pass this, maybe Esry would kick him out and she wouldn't have to put up with him. Remus scowled as he set off the bells again. The chatter that had filled the home fell as they counted the bells chiming. _Ting-ting. Ting-ting._ Two. Niki clapped excitedly and Little climed onto Remus, hugging him tightly. Bicket clapped Remus on the shoulder. The only one displeased at the turn of events was Rane. Remus was sure Kie would have been displeased if he had been there. No one had seen the teen since the early morning when he'd set off to where he worked. Unlike the others, Kie actually had a job. It didn't pay much, but it was better than nothing. There was a tension in the air that took Remus a few minutes to realize that it was because Kie wasn't home yet and he should be.

Rane looked worried for the eldest boy. A part of Remus was curious as to why. When another hour had past of listening to the bells tinkle, Niki grabbed the cloak and tossed it into a pile in the corner. This was when Remus asked her why Rane seemed to be the most concerned for Kie. Niki looked a bit reluctant to tell him but finally, after a bit of wheedling from Remus, she caved. "They're either siblings or they love each other very much. They came with Esry at the same time but wouldn't tell us their relationship with each other. She and Kie are the best of friends, I believe, or the closest lovers I have ever seen," Niki said softly, glancing up cautiously at Rane to see if she had heard her. If she had, Rane wasn't looking at Remus and Niki. "It might not seem like a big deal, them having a secret. But secrets are far and few in this house. We don't have much so what we do have, we share. Everyone carries the same burden," Niki said, glancing at Little. "Even the younger ones do." Remus pulled his blanket tighter around him, covering the scar on his neck. Not keeping secrets? Well he had a big one that went down to his very blood and DNA. Remus looked down at his feet and nodded, sort of understanding what Niki was talking about.

A shrill squeal of joy made Remus, Niki, Bicket, and Little look up in surprise. Rane flung herself at the figure that had come inside while Remus and Niki had been talking. When Rane pulled away, the others could see it was Kie. Although, with that reaction Rane gave, it was pretty obvious who it was. Everyone said their hellos and Kie nodded to everyone. He glanced at the corner where the cloak for Remus' training laid. "How'd it go?" he asked, looking at Niki. Niki told him it went well and that Remus, in the ends, managed only two bells to ring. "That's not good enough," snapped Kie, obviously displeased at how it had gone. "Little's growing too fast, everyone goes to bed hungry, and we never have enough money for even the necessities," Kie raged. Remus shrunk back from Kie while Little crawled into Remus' lap. The boy was tired (he'd missed his nap earlier that day) and his eyes were drooping. His thumb had found its way into his mouth and he was slowly starting to nod off.

"Tomorrow, you either get it down right, Remus, or you can go find your own damn place to live!" ordered Kie. "Hey now! Who put you in charge? Unless Esry told you something that we don't know about, you can't tell Remus what to do," yelled Bicket. Rane, disgruntled at the outburst at Kie, joined in on the fight. "Shut your mouth, Bicket! Kie is only looking out for what's best for us. If he can't bring in something for us, he can clear out now!" Despite her cool demeanor, Rane's voice was surprisingly soft and timid. All at once, the three began shouting at each other and, for a second, it looked like Kie was going to hit Bicket.

"Everyone just _shut up_!" Niki yelled. Everyone fell silent and Remus shot a shocked expression at Niki. Even though Remus had only known her for a day, he hadn't expected her capable of raising her voice. "We are all hungry, tired, and cranky, yes. But that is no reason to take it out on each other. Kie, do not scold Remus for something that takes ages to master. It is not his fault at all. Bicket, although you are right in what you say, that gives you no reason to speak against anyone in this house. Rane, you have no place to talk. You just sit here with me all day. At least I watch Little. You mope about until Kie gets back from work," Niki said, turning to each person in turn. Her voice was calm but it was strained; like she was even somewhat agreeing with all of them. Remus shrank even further back, holding the sleeping Little on his lap.

Rane and Bicket were exchanging dark glares with each other while Kie was scowling at Remus. The tension in the room from earlier seemed to have been magnified by thousands since Kie had come home. Rane grabbed Kie's hand and tugged him back to the corner where they had been sitting the day before. Bicket snorted and muttered something about 'incest' before sitting down and turning his back to everyone in the room. Niki turned to Remus, all smiles and bubbliness gone and replaced with a somber and unhappy frown. Niki leaned down and scooped up the sleeping Little, cradling him in her arms. Remus could have sworn that he saw tears in her eyes that were threatening to pour out. Niki beat her lip, her teeth digging into the skin and almost drawing blood. Remus pulled his legs up to his chest and buried his head into his knees, letting sleep over take him.

After a few days of generally the same thing (Kie coming home later only to find out that, yet again, Remus had not mastered pickpocketing, a fight ensuing, and Niki growing close to tears), something finally changed. Remus brushed up against the cloak and, on instinct, grabbed the pouch of coins. He withdrew he hand and continued walking ahead. He halted and stopped to listen for bells. When he heard none, he glanced around. Bicket had dropped the Daily Prophet and Niki had stopped trying to get Little to take a nap. Their faces were in perfect surprise. Suddenly Remus was nearly knocked over from the force of a seventeen year old and a fourteen year old. "Congrats, man!" whooped Bicket. "Well done, Remus. Well done," giggled Niki, tears that had been bottled up for nearly a week flooding down her face. "Oh, Kie will be somewhat pleased, I just know he will. Now the burden of money won't just be on him and Bicket," Niki said excitedly, wiping her eyes with the sleeve of her shirt. Bicket glanced at his rusty watch, something he'd found in the trash and Kie had fixed up months earlier, and smiled brightly. "We can tell him in a few minutes. He and Rane should be here soon," he said with a smirk, sliding the watch into his pocket.

Since the big argument, Rane had begun to go to work with Kie. She didn't do anything, but it got her out of the house and let Niki relax a bit more. It hadn't stopped the fights but it was one less person Niki had to scold during a fight. Kie apparently worked at Flourish and Blotts. He mostly organized the books and parchment as well as dealt with Hogwarts kids. The new year was starting and letters had been sent out, so many students were flooding Diagon Alley, all pushing and shoving each other to get to the "good stuff". Kids who were on the Quidditch teams were nearly climbing over one another at Quidditch Quality Supplies to get care kits for their brooms while the kids who were on Gobstones teams or Chess teams were fighting over new Gobstones and chess pieces from a small toy shop that was somewhat hidden next to Fortescues' Ice Cream Shoppe. First years were weaving in and out of Ollivanders, coming out holding oak wands with unicorn tails in them or ivy with dragon heartstring. Parents were dragged from shop to shop, their money bags feeling lighter and lighter at each one. It was the perfect time to send Remus out and get money.

After a few minutes of celebration, Kie and Rane walked in. Rane looked sullen while Kie raised an eyebrow, asking the same thing he asked when he came home. Remus held up the pouch and smiled a bit. Kie didn't smile or congratulate him. "You start tomorrow. Bicket, take him with you when you do your rounds," he said, looking at Bicket. Bicket stole things from shops, much like Niki. Only he tackled mostly the alleyways. Granted it was stuff that had been tossed out, shopkeepers would rather it stayed there rather than end up in some filthy hovel with a bunch of homeless kids. Bicket's job, surprisingly, was harder than Niki's. Some of the things in the alleyway had enchantments on them to alert the shopkeepers when it was being moved. Thankfully, most didn't have a tracking charm. One time, a table that Bicket had brought back had one of those charms on it. The shopkeeper had found them and demanded it back, although he didn't report Bicket to any form of authority. They had, however, lost the table, much to Niki's and Bicket's disappointment.

"Alright, Kie," Bicket said happily, clapping Remus on the shoulder. "Me and Remus will bring home tons of stuff. He can even help me carry some of the heavier things. That okay with you, Remus?" asked Bicket, smiling at the child happily. Remus nodded and grinned as well. He liked Bicket. He was a friendly guy who was generally agreeable. Bicket clapped Remus once more on the shoulder and laughed again. Rane glared at Remus once more before turning on her heel and marching out of the house.

**A/N2: Alright, this is the last chapter of Remus being younger. The next one will time skip up to when Remus is eleven and gets his letter to Hogwarts.**


	3. Chapter 3

Three years had passed since Remus had come to live with one of Esry's "families". People had come and gone, be it by death or they just up and left. Remus had gotten better in pick-pocketing. Not only had he managed to snag coin pouches that were loaded down with money, but also pocket watches that were loosely attatched. After he got the watches, he'd sell them for cheap off the streets. Most watches sold fairly well, unless they were beat up and ragged. A Ministry worker, however, had caught him peddling the watches and had threated to chuck the boy into Azkaban. Remus had stopped selling the watches for a few weeks. When he got back to selling them, the sales seemed to speed up.

Nothing much had changed. Rane still hated him for a reason Remus wasn't aware of, Kie still favored Rane over everyone in the home, Bicket was the closest with Remus, Niki still acted like the mother, and Little was still, well, little. The only thing that had really changed was that they have found out about Remus' monthly problem. Remus normally took off for the night on full moons, saying he was going to go and try and steal from some drunks. He still woke up from nightmares from the night they had found out.

-LINE BREAK-

_Remus had left the home and was hanging around the abandoned houses. He was waiting for the moon to pull his transformation from him. A movement caught his ears and he glanced around. He was nine at the time, had been living at the house for a little over a year. The familiar face of Little peaked from one of the torn off doors. Remus' eyes widened in fear and horror. "Wha' are you doin' 'ere, Remmy?" asked the child meekly. "'s scary 'ere. I though' you were gettin' money fer us," Little said, pouting a little. Remus didn't lie to Little, ever. Remus told everything to Little and Little told everything to Remus. Even though Remus was four years older than the child, they had become friends._

_"Little! G-get out of here! Shoo! Run! Just get out of he-AGH!" Remus yelled, his body arching as the moon triggered the werewolf in him. He doubled over and his hands flew up to his head, knotting in his hair. Tears sprung from his eyes and his nails dug into his scalp, drawing beeds of blood. Little jolted backwards and high__-__tailed it out of the house while Remus' muscles grew and his body stretched into that of a werewolf. When his body stopped racking and quivering, his mind was no longer that of Remus Lupin, but of a wolf. Its nose twitched as it caught scent of that of the child. 'No,' snapped Remus in his mind. 'You will NOT harm Little. I will not allow it.' The wolf seemed to snicker at the thought of Remus, who barely held a grip on his sanity during a transformation, had the notion that he could stop the wolf from killing._

_Although the scent of Little was still strong, the wolf had not gone after him. Killing a child wouldn't be fun. Thankfully the abandoned houses were void of human contact. The newest smells were Remus' and Little's. The other scents were stale and all of Remus' past visits to the homes. The wolf mostly just paced back and forth in the home before settling down in the coziest corner and going to sleep._

_The next morning, Remus raced back to the home and was greeted, not by hellos, but by glares and sneers. Niki even looked displeased at Remus. "I told you when you first came here, Remus. We do not keep secrets from each other," she said quietly. Remus looked down in shame and shuffled his feet. "Little came home screaming and crying last night. He said Remus was turning into a monster and going to eat him. We thought he was playing until he told us that he was telling the truth," Kie said quietly. In a few strides, Kie stood in front of Remus and ripped the shirt Remus wore in half. His chest was scattered with wounds, new and old, scars and open. He pushed the part that blocked the neck and there, showing bright against Remus' already pale flesh, was the scar where flesh had been ripped away and the bite had seeped into his very blood and DNA. "I knew it," muttered Rane, her voice filled with venom and hate. "Should have kicked him out when we had the chance," she hissed._

_Bicket was silent. He stared at Remus with unreadable eyes. All eyes flicked to the boy, some filled with malice, some with confusion. Finally Bicket inhaled and slowly exhaled. "Remus carried a burden that he didn't share with everyone, yes," he said quietly. "But to carry such a burden as he did, I can't blame him for keeping it from us. He carries a burden many people would be terrified to tell. He was scared and I'm sure, as Esry found him abandoned, his parents had just abandoned him. He had no one to trust and thus, couldn't trust us. With Rane always saying we should toss him out or hoping he would pass on and Kie always saying what he brought in wasn't good enough, you can't blame him. He didn't want to tell Little because, well, Little's little. Little wouldn't know what to say or how to react. To find out one of his closest friends turns into something nightmares are made of, I'm very sure he would never want to be in the same room as Remus, much less talk to him. And Niki, well, Niki carries enough weight on her shouldesr, caring for all of us like our mother," Bicket said. This was a rare moment when Bicket showed wise__-__ness that even many adults didn't possess. "As for why he didn't tell me, I haven't much idea other than I was new to him. To trust someone is hard to do. Your parents chucking you out like that, I'm surprised he didn't high__-__tail it out of here when he first got here," Bicket murmured._

_All eyes lifted from Bicket to Remus. All rage was gone and replaced with confusion. Only Rane's held something different. Something only Kie could say he had seen. Shame. Shame that she was a reason why Remus had held such a trouble. Kie's expression was indifferent._

_It had taken weeks before the tension was gone. But by the next full moon, all tension had been replaced with a more home-y feeling. It stayed in the same way by looks but everyone was more friendly to each other. They had come to accept that some people held secrets that they didn't want the others to know, such as Kie and Rane's relationship with each other. Little eventually came around and no longer shrieked, "MONSTER MONSTER NIKI HELP ME!" when Remus was in the room. Yes, this was much more pleasant for everyone._

-LINE BREAK-

It was a cool summer day when it came. 'It' was an owl. An owl baring a letter. Remus had seen the owls come before, bearing one for Bicket each year. Bicket would take the letter and head into the shops with Niki. Niki was the best partner. While Bicket distracted the shop keeper with questions, Niki would take the list and snag the books, cloaks, potion ingredients, and even managing a cauldron.

The owl flew into the house and waited. Niki was the first to see it. "Bicket, letter's here," she called, looking back down at the book in her hand. Bicket stood up from the floor (he had been playing with Little and Remus) and strode over to the owl. The owl dropped the envelopes onto Bicket's feet and flew out. He leaned down and picked up the two letters.

_Mr. B Hamson_

_The Abandoned House_

_55 Newt Alley_

_Diagon Alley_

_London, England_

He set it aside and glanced at the second one. There had to be a mistake. There was only one wizard in the home. Remus had never shown any signs of magic and Little was to young. He flipped the letter over to look at the address it was meant for.

_Mr. R Lupin_

_The Abandoned House_

_55 Newt Alley_

_Diagon Alley_

_London, England_

"N-Niki...I think we have a problem," Bicket said, the letter falling from his hands and back to the floor. Niki sighed and dog-eared the page she was on. She stood up and tossed the book onto the couch before hurrying over to Bicket. "What, Bicket?" she asked tiredly. Bicket pointed at the letter that had fallen to the floor in a mix of horror and shock. Niki bent down and grabbed the letter. Her eyes scanned the letter once, twice, three times before her jaw dropped. She turned towards Remus and raised an eyebrow. "Remus is there something you would like to tell us?" she asked, holding up the letter so Remus could see the letter. Remus' eyes widened and looked from the letter to Niki, then shrugged.

Niki sighed and chewed on her lip, eyeing the letter like it was an animal that was threatening to attack her. Remus stood up and hurried over. His hand shook as he took the letter from Niki and held it in his hands, turning it over and over in his hands. "I…But I never shown any signs of magic," he whispered. But he knew had to have. The past three summers when Bicket came back from Hogwarts, things had happened. Things like belongings floating and Kie's hair randomly growing to impossible lengths after fights. They'd all just attributed it to Bicket; he was just getting used to not using magic again for the summer. Niki grabbed the letter and tore it open. Sure enough, it was from Hogwarts.

"I guess me and Kie will figure out something," Niki said quietly, crossing one arm over her chest and rubbing her temple with her hand. "In the meantime, you can use Bicket's hand-me-downs. So we'll just have to get a cauldron, a telescope, phials, and a wand," Niki said, mostly to herself, as she scanned the list of items needed. The list was always lengthy and almost always they were missing a few things. "When I'm with Bicket, you go get your stuff. Use some of the money you get off the streets," Niki said, sitting back down on the couch while she tried to figure out what they were going to do.

While Remus wasn't the prime income bringer, he definitely was one of the ones that brought home a hefty amount of money. He did, however, bring in more in a week than Kie. The watches that Remus sold was what had brought up his profits. It was never enough, unfortunately, for the small "family". But it got them by enough to keep everyone alright. It, however, didn't stop Kie from complaining that Esry had all but left them to fend for themselves a year ago and that whatever he, Remus, Bicket, and Niki brought in wasn't enough. They didn't go to bed hungry as often as they had three years previous, but there still were nights where everyone went to bed going on twenty hours without nourishment. Little was the one who complained the most about food. A few weeks ago, his complaints had pushed Rane over the edge.

-LINE BREAK-

"_Remmy, I'm hungry," whispered Little into Remus' chest. They hadn't found any scraps and they didn't have money to spare for food. It had been raining for a good two days non-stop so no one had been out and about shopping. Which meant Remus couldn't go out to get money. Kie's bi-weekly pay wouldn't come in till three days from then. By then, Little would be knocking on Death's door, asking for a meal and a place to stay, with the others not too far behind._

"_I know, Little, I know," soothed the eleven year old, patting Little's back soothingly. In the corner, a soft _Plink! Plink!_ Of rain pattered into a cauldron. The roof had a leak in it and had been rotting the floor. Bicket had offered up his cauldron as a bucket to hold the water. Every few hours someone had to drag it outside and dump it into the street. Rane was up next to drag it out and was already snapping about having to do something. Little made another whimper about being hungry as Rane walked past._

_Quick as a flash, Rane's hand swished past and a _SMACK!_ cracked against Little's cheek. Silence filled the room while a red hand print appeared on Little's face. "Shut up! Shut up you stupid brat! We're all hungry! If you haven't noticed, you're not the only one who goes to sleep at night with their stomach cramping the whole night. So shut up and stop your whining!" she yelled, her eyes furious. Little sniffled and buried his face into Remus' chest, his sobs shaking his whole body. Rane huffed and stomped out, dragging the cauldron behind her._

-LINE BREAK-

They decided to do the shopping for supplies the day after. It made no sense to go out right then and there. Most shops were starting to close up anyway. When Kie came home, it had been a quiet discussion. Kie reluctantly congratulated Remus while Rane offered a rare smile. The last thing said that night was, "We'll make it work", from Rane.

The next morning, it was a slow rise to get up and awake. Remus set out before Niki and Bicket went out, wanting to get to Ollivanders' first, before taking care of any other shopping. Already, a crowd was forming inside the shop. Despite his efforts to beat the morning rush, the morning rush had beaten him. Within minutes of being inside the small and cramped shop, Remus was sandwiched between a woman with her child and an older gentleman with his son. An impatient person in the way back must have shoved the person in front of them, thus starting a domino effect, because a second later, Remus was slammed into the man's back and the woman was firmly shoved against him. The man held his ground and when Remus straightened up, he whipped around. "Boy, watch where you're going!" snapped the man. He took a second to eye the boy before a look of disgust grew on his face. "Eurgh, never mind. Probably too dimwitted to know what I'm saying," sneered the man. A low clearing of the throat made the man turn and look at Ollivander.

"Ah, Lord Black. Yes, good to see you, sir. Ash, thirteen and a fourth inches, dragon heartstring, yes? Excellent for Transfiguration and Defense Against the Dark Arts," Ollivander said, pulling a box from underneath the counter and handing the wand inside to the boy next to the man. "Here you are, Young Master Black. Try this one. Eleven inches on the dot, pine, and a single hair of a unicorn's tail," Ollivander said. The Black child began to wave the wand but it was snatched from him by Ollivander within seconds. "No, no," murmured the man. It took ten minutes before the child had a wand. "Fifteen inches, Dogwood, and a unicorn hair," Ollivander murmured. Lord Black pulled out seven gold Galleons and set them on the counter.

"Come, Sirius," the man said stiffly. With a final glare at Remus, Lord Black marched Sirius out of the shop. Ollivander waved Remus up to the counter and began pushing wands to the boy. He, by far, was taking the longest and, judging by the disgruntled customers, was going on a good half hour. Finally, he waved a wand ("Ten and a fifth inches, willow, and a dragon heartstring," Ollivaner had said when he took the box out from a high up shelf) and a shower of red and silver sparks flew from the tip. Small children "Ooo'd" and "Ahh'd" at the display and a few even clapped. Remus pulled out his pouch of coins and counted out the payment, seven Galleons. Thanking Ollivander, Remus rushed out of the shop.

Further along, when he stopped to get his cauldron, telescope, phials, and scales, he ran into the Black boy. They were both eyeing a gold cauldron with a yearning in their eyes. Sirius turned to Remus and smirked at him. "I'm Sirius Black. You're the boy who shoved my father, aren't you?" he said. Remus began to apologize and formulate a plan to escape when Sirius stopped him with a hearty laugh. "No, no, no, don't worry about it. He didn't hex you, so you're alright," Sirius said with a snicker. "So who are you? Do I know you from one of the many conventions Father drags me to every Christmas?" Sirius asked, furrowing his brow.

"I'm Remus. Probably not. Me and my...family don't hang around that sort of thing. Not high up that social ladder, if you get what I mean," Remus said, turning his wand between his fingers. Sirius stared at him and his eyes widened suddenly and he snapped his fingers.

"I know you! I've seen you around here, selling watches!" he said with sudden realization. All color drained from Remus' face. "Dad caught you once and threatened to call the Aurors on you cause the watch you were trying to sell him was stolen," Sirius said, frowning a bit. Remus looked down in shame and shuffled his feet. Sirius was about to say more when his father barked at him to hurry up. They said they're good-byes and hurried off on their shopping.

It wasn't long before, yet again, Remus ran into one of the Blacks. This time, however, he wasn't lucky to get Sirius. He sent Lord Black sprawling onto the ground, the items they were holding flying into the air. "Dammit, street scum!" snapped Lord Black, standing up and brushing himself off. He eyed the boy and his lip curled in disgust. "You again? You have a nasty habit of showing up, boy," sneered Lord Black. His eyes were cool, despite his cruel tone. Lord Black seemed to be thinking intently about something. "Alright, tell you what, boy. I imagine whatever slum you live in is highly unfit and anyone you live with that is under seventeen could be shipped to an orphanage faster than you could blink. So I have a proposition for you," Black said, his face expressionless. "My son says he met you in the Cauldron Shop just under an hour ago. Since then, he has not shut up about you. My son doesn't get much social interaction with children his age unless they are his brother or cousins," drawled Lord Black. "So, I will pay your, eurgh, family a hundred Galleons a week if you live in my house and entertain my son. They will get extra Galleons if you entertain my other son, Regulus. He is two years younger than Sirius but he is rather popular with the family members, so you shan't need to entertain him often," he said stiffly.

Remus' jaw dropped and fiddled with his hands. It was a lot of money, especially for just one week! Remus gaped and nodded dumbly. The man didn't look too bothered and Remus was sure he'd have had the same reaction regardless what Remus said. "I will also be purchasing your supplies for Hogwarts. Can't have my sons' plaything looking like trash," he sneered. "You will address my wife as Madame Black and me as Sir. Sirius, you may call whatever he tells you. This will apply to Regulus," he explained. Remus nodded again, still in awe. "Good, let's go collect Remus and then we shall go to my home," he said. Lord Black set a fast pace that had Remus rushing to keep up with him. "Keep up, boy," snapped Black, annoyed.

It didn't take long to find Sirius. Like every other boy, he was pressed against the window of Quality Quidditch Supplies, ogling the brooms in the window. "Sirius, come. I bought you something better than a broom," Black drawled. His son perked up at that. Better than a broomstick? Nothing was better than a broomstick, unless it was a whole Quidditch pitch and a team! He whirled around and stared at his father. He glanced at Remus and cocked an eyebrow. "This will be your new friend, if you see him fit. He will be living with us and staying in your quarters of the home. He is your responsibility," he said, his eyes narrowed. Sirius nodded, a grin spreading across his face. He was wrong. THIS was better than anything Quidditch related! This was better than the presents he'd gotten for Christmas and his birthday!

"Yes, Father, thank you Father," Sirius said eagerly. He threw himself at his father and buried his face into the man's cloak. For once, Remus saw a small smile on Lord Black's face. Sirius grasped Remus' hand when his father instructed him to (Lord Black had sent the items to the home) and they Apparated. The last thing that ran through Remus' mind was, 'I didn't say goodbye'. Then, everything was tight. He was being pulled every which way while simultaneously being pushed inwards every which way. He couldn't breathe; it was like Bicket, Kie, and Little were all sitting on his chest and cutting of his air. Then air came whooshing back into his lungs and he doubled over, dry heaving onto the ground. Nothing, obviously, came up but Lord Black still gave a disgusted look at Remus. Sirius grabbed Remus' hand and dragged him up to the house.

When they got in, Remus was thrown into a tour of the home. He saw the dining room where they only ate lunch and dinner (breakfast was served in the sitting room); the locations of the many toilets; and then the end of the home that was Sirius'. There was one bathroom that Remus and Sirius would share, a study room for Sirius, Sirius' bedroom, and a play room. While a million thoughts raced through Remus' head, Sirius kept pondering the same thing: Where would Remus sleep? He finally came to a somewhat agreement and they decided that Remus would sleep on the only bed available; meaning with Sirius. The two had seated themselves in the play room and were busying themselves with a chess set when a boy that looked remarkably like Sirius looked in. "Who's he?" the boy asked, looking at Remus.

Sirius puffed out his chest happily and smiled broadly. "Oh, hey Regulus. He's Remus. Dad hired him to be my play mate. But you can share him with me, if you want," Sirius said with a happy laugh. Remus looked down at the chess pieces, his cheeks bright red. It sounded like they thought of him as an item, rather than a person. _You were hired to entertain them, of course you're more of an object than a person._ He shook the thought from his mind just in time to hear Regulus answer Sirius.

"No thank you, Sirius. Mother said that cousin Bellatrix, Narcissa, and Andromeda are supposed to be visiting tonight. We are going to go to the stables whilst the adults converse before dinner. I was wondering if you would care to join us later tonight." Regulus asked, his tone the same stiffness their father had. It was rather odd, Remus thought. Although he hadn't met the lady of the house, Remus was very much sure that she was just like her husband and youngest son. Sirius, on the other hand, seemed much more carefree than the others. Sirius looked at Remus then back to his brother.

"No thanks, Reggie. Me and Remus are going to play chess. I want to see how good he is. Maybe I'll finally have some competition that can beat me," teased Sirius, wriggling his eyebrows comically. Regulus sniffed haughtily at the nickname and left the two. Sirius' smile faltered a bit but he quickly recovered. "He hates when I call him Reggie. Baby nickname, he says," Sirius said, looking back down at the chess board. He prodded one of the pawns and rolled his eyes a bit. "Oi, go on, get to your place," he ordered. The pawn seemed to give a small huff but reluctantly moved to its place. The white chess pieces seemed to all be disgruntled when they were moved to Remus' side of the board. While the white ones were chipped (they must have been repaired quiet often), the black ones were hardly scratched. Only a few pawns and one rook seemed to have been damaged.

Remus proved to be a good opponent against Sirius. It was looking like he would win until Sirius' knight took out Remus' king. A good chunk of Sirius' pieces were missing, but that hardly compared to what was left of Remus' pieces. One rook, a bishop, both knights, and three pawns were left. When Sirius' cousins and aunt and uncle arrived, he was called downstairs to greet them. To Remus' surprise, Sirius dragged him behind him. While he was friendly towards Andromeda, the eldest Black sister, Narcissa and Bellatrix might as well have been furniture because Sirius barely gave a nod to them. The feelings must have been mutual because Narcissa and Bellatrix didn't regard the eldest Black brother, preferring to turn their attention to the youngest brother.

It was two hours later when dinner was called. Sirius was in awe at the fact that Remus had, so far, beaten him three times at chess. He rarely lost a game, only ever losing to his father. Sirius and Remus seated themselves on one side of the table. Remus sat at on the second to last chair on the side of the table, Sirius on the very end and Andromeda on his other side. Andromeda seemed to like Remus, finding the boy absolutely fascinating. Dinner, aside from the adults conversation, was quiet and rather tense. After the soup and pheasant had been finished and the plates cleared away (by House Elf magic, of course), the Black sisters and their parents left. Remus hid a yawn behind his hand and Sirius smiled kindly. "C'mon. It's been a long day. We best be getting to bed," he said. He lead Remus back up to their room and made up the bed. It was a large bed, Remus was sure it could fit three of him. Sirius handed him a pair of his pajamas and they slipped into them. Sirius wore a pair of black silk ones and Remus donned a green pair of the same material. They nestled into the bed, falling asleep almost instantly.

Remus' sleep was restless. It was filled with images of Niki and Little crying, Kie looking worried, Bicket searching the streets of Diagon Alley, and Rane trying to comfort Kie. What startled him awake in the morning wasn't the sun that peaked in through the curtains but a tall man with brown hair and cold eyes, counting out giant gold Galleons. Just before his eyes shot open, the man spoke. "Fat load of money you bring in, Remus. Bout time you started bringing in your keep." Remus blinked his eyes open and tried to remember where he had heard the voice. Then it came back to him. Three years ago, the man that he had come to known as the mysterious Esry, who came to the house when he pleased, which wasn't often.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Okay, I am so so so so so so so sorry this took so long to get out. I was so busy and just didn't have much time to write and when I did have time to write, I didn't have the muse. But I finally finished it up so here it is.**

"Remus!" yelled Sirius, jumping onto the sleeping boy. "Remus, getupgetupgetup!" chanted Sirius, shaking Remus. Remus groaned and buried his head into the pillow, shaking his head with a whine. "Reeeeeeemus," pouted Sirius, prodding Remus's cheek. In the few weeks Remus had lived with Sirius, Sirius had found the Remus was both a slow riser and completely in love with sleeping and beds. Finally, after a few more minutes of incessant shaking and pleading, Remus sat up and pushed his hair out of his eyes. "Guess what tomorrow is, Remus! Go on, guess!" squealed Sirius, excitement permanently etched on his face.

Remus blinked slowly as he thought of the date. It was the thirty-first of August which meant tomorrow was..."We go to Hogwarts," Remus said, realization dawning on him. A small bubble of excitement was welling up in him. He'd always seen Bicket go to Hogwarts, even joining the boy to the train station and watching him leave. This time around, it would be he who was going. "Did your father send an owl to Dumbledore about my, err, condition?" Remus asked cautiously. The Black's had found out shortly after Remus had moved in. Remus had been changing in his and Sirius' room when Regulus had come in looking for Sirius. One look at the scars that littered Remus' body was enough to send the boy running for Lord and Madame Black.

It had started a huge fight and ended with Remus being half playmate and half pet. Only Sirius could play with him; Regulus wasn't permitted to speak to the werewolf however they could be in the same room together. Remus had to eat in the kitchen with the House Elves or in Sirius' room. Remus was rather happy about this; he wasn't very fond of the Black family anyways. After all of the commotion, Sirius and Remus had speculated that Remus wouldn't be allowed into Hogwarts. They had spent weeks worrying until Orion, otherwise known as Lord Black, saw his sons distress at possibly leaving his friend behind and had reluctantly wrote a letter to Albus Dumbledore.

Sirius fiddled with the blanket that covered Remus, chewing on his lip. "Well, Dumbledore replied, Remus," Sirius said quietly. Remus' heart plummeted; he wasn't going to be let in, he knew it. "And says you should pack your trunk cause we're going to Hogwarts!" laughed Sirius. The next thing Sirius saw was a pillow being slammed into the side of his face and Remus launching himself at him with a playful yell. The two tussled on the bed before Sirius threw Remus off of him and Remus collided with the floor. With a cocky grin, Sirius peered over the bed at Remus. "I win," he teased playfully. Remus stuck his tongue out at Sirius and sat up.

Thudding of footsteps erupted and Regulus burst into the room. Regulus didn't look at Remus; Remus might as well have been a pillow lying on the floor. "Father wants you and it downstairs. One of your professors you will have will be studying under at Hogwarts," Regulus said, his tone darkening whenever he referred to Remus. Sirius groaned but nodded and told Regulus they'd be down in a little bit. Regulus nodded and shut the door behind him.

Twenty minutes later, Remus and Sirius marched down the stairs. Sirius was dressed in a smart black suit with a green tie whilst Remus wore a slightly ragged but still nice black suit with a black tie. Walburga, Sirius' mother, and Orion were seated in the sitting room. Across from them, sipping a cup of tea brought by a House-Elf, sat Professor Horace Slughorn, the Potions Master, Slytherin Head, and Professor at Hogwarts. Walburga looked at Sirius and Remus and scowled. "Where are your manners, Sirius? Greet your future Head of House," she said curtly. Sirius pursed his lips and straightened up; crossing his arms behind his back while Remus slouched and took a few steps backwards, trying to avoid the professor's stare.

Sirius cleared his throat a bit and looked at Slughorn. "Hello, Professor," he greeted, his voice stiff and emotionless. The professor nodded at Sirius, a smile plastered on his face. The professor looked pointedly at Remus and raised an eyebrow. Remus swallowed hard and mumbled a hello. Sirius grabbed Remus shoulder and steered him to a small loveseat that was empty when his mother motioned for him to sit down. He hid a gleeful smile when his mother made a look of disgust when Remus sat down next to Sirius.

"Well well, m'boy, I've heard quite a bit from your parents, I have, Sirius," laughed Slughorn. "An aptitude for potions, I heard," he continued with a proud smile. Sirius stared back blankly. What? No, he did not! The last time he'd tried brewing a potion, he'd burnt the cauldron through the bottom and melted the ladle! Oh, Father had been so mad at him for ruining a perfectly good cauldron and ladle. He'd never tried brewing again. "Your Father said that you could brew a perfect Pepper-Up Potion." Sirius held back a barking laugh. Oh, Father and Mother. Trying to get him on Slughorn's good side whilst they still could, before he inevitably messed everything up they planned for him. A small bit of him was relieved when Slughorn took his eyes off of him, but it was short-lived when he turned his attention to Remus. "And you, my boy, I've heard great things from Headmaster Dumbledore," Slughorn said with a smile. "I'm positive that you both will make _excellent_ Slytherins," Slughorn praised the two of them with a fond smile. Already the professor was set to collecting both.

Sirius stared back at Slughorn with a mix of boredom and fake happiness. "Well, it was a pleasure, Professor, but Remus and I still have to pack our trunks for tomorrow. We are both _very_ excited for you to teach us,' Sirius said, biting his tongue on every insult he could fire at Slughorn. No, he'd save those rants for Remus. Slughorn nodded and waved a hand nonchalantly. With that, the two boys bid the professor good day and made their escape as quick as they could. Once they were safely locked in Sirius' bedroom did Sirius' façade fall and he began pummeling his pillow. Remus could hear, amongst the slipped cursing, rants about his family. "Stupid blood purists." "Hate the lot." "I'm just going to go to Gryffindor." "Disown them all." Finally, after what seemed like hours but really were only a few minutes, Sirius let the pillow fall to the floor and grumbled. Remus waited for Sirius' breathing to return to normal before he reached a shaky hand out to Sirius' shoulder and patted it reassuringly. Sirius jolted a bit in surprise and huffed a great sigh.

"Why, Remus, do I have to be in this family? I don't belong here. They're all big on blood status and money and stuff like that. I don't get it. Everyone here seems to get it but me and you. Even Regulus gets it and he's younger than me," Sirius said, his shoulders shaking a bit. Sirius took a sharp gasp and that signaled Remus that the boy was trying not to cry. "I-if I don't fit in with my family, Remus, who do I fit in with? Who am I?" whispered Sirius brokenly. Remus smiled sadly and pulled Sirius up. Tears were glistening in his eyes but they were being held back with all of Sirius' willpower.

Remus took a shaky breath and sighed a bit. "Well, Sirius, that's what we'll find out when we get to Hogwarts, right? We'll find out where we belong there. As for who you are, Sirius you are a good person and among one of the first people to accept me for being a werewolf. You are one of the greatest people I have ever met. Don't be sad that you're not like your family because, honestly, that's so much better. No one wants to be like your family, accepting your family and the rest of its inbred lot," Remus said with a slight joking tone at the end. That got a watery laugh out of Sirius who wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. "So don't you dare regret not being like them; not for a single moment, you hear me?"

Sirius looked at Remus with sad eyes and nodded dumbly. "Y-yeah, right, Remus," he said hoarsely. "You're right. I'll be a better person than them, than all of them. I'll...I'll go and make something of myself. All on my own, without their help. I don't need their blood to get anywhere. It'll be hard, right, but I'll do it. And you'll do it with me, Remus. The two of us, together, we'll be unstoppable," he said as he grinned toothily. All sadness was forgotten and replaced with determination and passion. Remus smiled pitifully for his friend and nodded. That'd be a nice thing, but, it would be impossible. If Sirius obvious eventual disowning didn't hold Sirius back from his goal, Remus' affliction definitely would. Sirius would have to eventually make a choice; Remus or his career or whatever it was he would do. And Remus knew, no amount of friendship could, or would, stop Sirius from attaining what he wanted.

Sirius hugged Remus tightly, muttering his thanks for being there for him. Remus patted Sirius' back reassuringly and smiled. "You're welcome, Sirius. Best friends forever, right?" Remus laughed, Sirius echoing the laugh enthusiastically.

After the events of the morning, the day progressed rather sluggishly. Most of the day was spent packing their trunks, making sure they had everything (three times at the advice of Walburga and Slughorn), and lounging around, the only interesting thing was when Sirius dragged Remus out to the backyard and grabbed two broomsticks. "We'll need to learn how to fly, Remus," Sirius said with a broad grin. "So we'll need to be ahead of the whole class."

Remus felt his stomach churn and his heart plummet. No, no heights. He did not do well with heights. Specifically with heights that involved no safety nets or barriers. But no amount of pleading, begging, and general disagreement with Sirius could keep Remus off that broom. So, after Sirius practically forced him onto the broom, Remus rose a few feet up in the air. And then it was more than three feet. He could see tree branches. There were the tops of the trees. A bird just passed him. And then he was yelling. "Sirius get me DOWN. GET ME DOWN." Sirius visibly paled. Getting down? Suddenly, all knowledge his father had taught him when he was younger about flying flew out the window on a Comet 260.

"Uhm, ah, well, uhm," Sirius babbled, knotting his hands into his hair. "Point the broom down, gradually, Remus!" he shouted up finally. He wasn't sure if that was right, but it was the best idea he had. A small part of him was glad when Remus obeyed and, slowly but surely, the broom began to float down. It was just at the level of the branches when the broom jerked and Remus was sent toppling to the ground. Aside from a few bumps and bruises that healed within minutes ("Werewolves heal quickly, Sirius," Remus said, hiding a smirk at the look of awe on Sirius' face), Remus was fine.

As the two trudged up the steps of the house, the sky tinged orange, for dinner and bed, Remus looked Sirius in the eyes. "No more flying for me, Sirius," he said sternly. Sirius smirked a bit and cocked his head to the side. "Silly Remus, if werewolves were meant to fly, Merlin would have given them wings," he said cockily. With a five second head start, Sirius dashed off into the house with Remus right behind him.


End file.
